Chromatic-bass guitar.



. D. A. PASSARELLI.

CHROMATIC BASS GUITAR.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.'4. 1915.

1,226,991 Patented May 22,1917.

J W M LL; N

j I l. I F [ii a 16 as min-II B? as M 24 T 5 6 WITNESS .7 INVENTOR MM WMM I ATTORNEY v DOMINICK-i A. PASSARELLI, OF DANBURY, CONNECTICUT.

CHROMATIC-BASS GUITAR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 22, 1917.

Application filed August 4, 1915. Serial No. 43,577.

To aZZ'w-h'om it'may concern:

Be it known-that I, DOMINICK A. P-AssA- RELLI, a citi'zen'of the-United States, res1dingat Danbury, county of- Fairfielol, State ofConnecticut, have-invented an Improvement in- Chromatic-Bass Guitars, ofwhich' the following-is a specification.

This invention has for its ob ect to provide-a gu1tarhavmg'a completechromatic bass-scale without requiring-an open string foreach tone, and which wlll" enable the player to-play a harmony with a perfect bass in-any keyand inany position, with a minimum number of strings.

A further object of the invention is to prov-idea guitar ofthe-type having supplemental bass strings with mechanical means operatedby-the-left thumb for stopping the supplemental bass strings at will to raisethe pitch of a-picked stringortostop the vibration ofthe supplemental strings.

A further object of the invention is to provide-a guitar havinga body cut away upon its outer side (when in position for use) and the neck and supplemental neck placed obliquely to the center lme of the body inthe direction-toward the player, so-

as to enable the player to play in the higher positions with greater ease.

With these and other objects in view I have d'evisedthe novel chromatic bass guitar whichI" will now describe,- referring'to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification and using reference characters t-o lndlcatethe several parts:

Figure Lisa perspectlve view of. a guitar embodying my novel invention andindicat-- ing the note namesof'theordlnary and the supplemental strings;

Fig. 2a section onxan enlarged scaleon the line2+2 in Fig..1 looking in the direction ofythearrows;

Fig.3 a .sectionon the line 33 in Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figs a sectiononthe line t-4- in Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows;-

Fig. 5a detail View partly in elevat on and? partly in, section, illustrating a modification. in. which the stop baris made ad-- j ustable,. and;

Fig. (3 is a view illustrating another modification in which the stop bar is dispensed with and the supplemental bass strings are stopped by other means.

10 denotes the body of a guitar, 11 the neck, 12the frets, 13 thehead and 14 the strings, which are the ordinary bass, E, A, D, and treble G, B and F. The head is enlarged and a supplemental neck 15 extends from the body to the head, lying substantially parallel withthe neck 11 but separated therefrom so that the left thumb of the player-is received freely between-the necks. The body is cut away upon its outer side (when in position for use) as at 39, and the neck and supplemental neck are placed obliquely to the center line of the body in the direction toward the player. This oblique position of the necks in'connection with the cutting away of the body enables the player to stop the strings in'the higher positions much more conveniently than heretofore. 16 denotes thesupplemental bass strings which are C, D, F, Gr, B-fiat and C. These supplemental strings lie substantially parallel with strings l4 and are connected to the body by pins 17 and to the head by keys 18, in like manner with strings 14. The supplemental bassstri'ngs pass over a single fret 19 and over a notched bar 20vupon the head near thesupplemental neck; Between fret 19 and the notched bar 'is a stop bar 21 shown as carried by rods 22 which areadapted to'slide vertically (as seen in Fig. 2) inthe head. lVhen the stop bar is pressed down firmly upon the supplemental strings, its action is to raisethe-pitch a half-tone. For example, a C string, when stopped, will be raisedto'G-sharp. hen the stop bar is pressed down lightly, its action is to stop the vibration of picked strings. The lower ends of rods 22 are connected by a cross piece 23having ears 2 1 between which one armof abell crank lever 25 is pivoted. This lever is fulcrumed on a pin 26 extending across a housing 27' which incloses the lever and is seated ina'recess in the supplemental neck. 28 denotes a link which is pivoted to the otherarmof-the bell-crank lever, extends laterally through the supplemental neck and is pivoted to an operating bar 29 which is partly socketed in neck 11 but projects from the socket into convenient position to be manipulated by the left thumb of the player. This bar extends substantially from the head to the body and is carried by arms 30 pivoted to brackets 31 upon the neck. Springs 82 socketed in the neck, bear against the inner edge of the operating bar and act to force it outward into operative position, and also act, by means of the link, bell crank lever and connections, to hold the stop bar in the raised position, as in Fig. 2. It is of course obvious that the supplemental strings must be of different sizes. In order to insure that the smallest of these strings will be effectually stopped by the stop bar, I provide a pad of rubber, felt or other suitable material, indicated by 83, in the under side of the stop bar. This pad has the additional function of preventing a metallic clang when the strings are released by the stop bar.

In Fig. 5, I have illustrated a form of stop bar which is made adjustable so that it can be tilted slightly to compensate for difien.

ences in the sizes of the strings. In this form, rods 22 carry a cross bar 34, and stop bar 21 is connected thereto by means of double-headed screws 35 which turn freely in the stop bar and have threaded engagement with the cross bar. The stop bar is locked at any required adjustment by means of set screws 36 which engage the cross bar and the ends of which bear against the stop bar.

In the form illustrated in Fig. 7, fret 19 and the stop bar are dispensed with, and the stopping is effected by means of pins 37 carried by levers 38 pivoted to the head and actuated by a link and operating bar as before.

The operation is as follows: The supplemental strings are picked by the thumb of the right hand and the operating bar is manipulated by the thumb of the left hand, lying between the necks, to stop a picked supplemental string and raise its pitch a half-tone, or to stop the vibration of picked strings.

Having thus described my invention I claim 1. In a guitar, the combination, with the usual fretted neck and the strings carried thereby, of supplemental strings and means for carrying the same, means for stopping said supplemental strings, means located contiguous to said neck and manually operable at substantially any point throughout the length thereof for actuating said stopping means, and means for yieldingly retaining said stopping means in normally inoperative position and said actuating means in position to be operated.

2. In a guitar, the combination, With the usual fretted neck and the strings carried thereby, of supplemental strings and means for carrying the same, means for stopping said supplemental strings, a bar longitudinally socketed in said neck and being laterally movable in its socket, and connecting means between said stopping means and said bar to operate the former.

3. In a guitar, the combination, with the usual fretted neck and the strings carried thereby, of supplemental strings and means for carrying the same, means for stopping said supplemental strings, a bar longitudinally socketed in said neck and being laterally movable in its socket, connecting means between said stopping means and said bar to operate the former, and means for yieldingly retaining said stopping means in normally inoperative position and said bar in position to be operated.

4. In a guitar, the combination, With the usual fretted neck and the strings carried thereby, of a supplemental neck carrying supplemental strings, a fret on said supplemental neck, a stop-bar associated with said fret, means for operating said stop-bar, and means located contiguous to said first-mentioned neck for actuating said operating means.

5. In a guitar, the combination, with the usual fretted neck and the strings carried thereby, of a supplemental neck carrying supplemental strings, a fret on said supplemental neck, a stop-bar associated with said fret, means for operating said stop-bar, and means located contiguous to said first-mentioned neck, and manually operable from 100 substantially any point throughout the length thereof for actuating said operating means.

(3. A guitar comprising supplemental bass strings, a stop-bar therefor, vertically slid- 106 ing rods having a cross-bar at their upper ends, adjustable connections by which the stop-bar is secured to the cross-bar, a cross piece connecting the lower ends of the rods, an operating bar and connections intermedi- 110 ate said bar and the cross-piece for actuating the stop bar.

v7. A guitar having supplemental bass strings, a stop-bar therefor, an operating bar substantially paralleling the usual fret- 116 ted neck of the guitar, a link and intermediate connections between the operating bar and the stop-bar, and springs acting on the operating bar to retain said bar in position to be operated and the stop-bar out of opera- 120 .tive position.

8. A guitar comprising supplemental bass strings, a stop-bar therefor, rods by which said bar is carried, a cross-piece connecting said rods, a link, a bell-crank-lever, one arm of Which is pivoted to the cross-piece and the other to the link, an operating bar to the other to the link, and a spring-controlled which the link is pivoted, swinging arms by 10 operating bar to Which the link is pivoted. Which the operating bar is carried and 9. A guitar comprising supplemental bass springs acting on the operating bar for the strings, a stop-bar therefor, rods by which purpose set forth. said bar is carried, a cr0ss-piece connecting In testimony whereof I affix my signature. said rods, a link, a bell-crank lever, one arm of Which is pivoted to the cross-piece and DOMINICK A. PASSARELLI.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

